الغَدرُ فينا طِباعٌ لا تَرى أَحَداً

الغَدرُ فينا طِباعٌ لا تَرى أَحَداً

وَفاءُهُ لَكَ خَيرٌ مِن تَوافيهِ

وَفاءُهُ لَكَ خَيرٌ مِن تَوافيهِ

Treachery is innate in us; you see no one

Betrayal is innate in us, no one's loyalty you see

Whose faithfulness to you is better than his death.

His keeping faith with you is better than his affinity

أَينَ الَّذي هُوَ صافٍ لا يُقالُ لَهُ

أَينَ الَّذي هُوَ صافٍ لا يُقالُ لَهُ

لَو أَنَّهُ كانَ أَو لَولا كَذا فيهِ

لَو أَنَّهُ كانَ أَو لَولا كَذا فيهِ

Where is the one so pure that no one says to him,

Where is he who is pure, of whom it's not said

“If only he were...” or “If not for such-and-such in him”?

Had he been thus or but for this, flawed would he be

وَتِلكَ أَوصافُ مَن لَيسَت جِبِلَّتُهُ

وَتِلكَ أَوصافُ مَن لَيسَت جِبِلَّتُهُ

جِبِلَّةَ الإِنسِ بَل كُلٌّ يُنافيهِ

جِبِلَّةَ الإِنسِ بَل كُلٌّ يُنافيهِ

And those are the traits of one whose nature is not

Such traits belong not to one of human disposition

The nature of humankind; rather, everyone is unlike him.

But each opposes it in his volition

وَلَو عَلِمناهُ سِرنا طالِبينَ لَهُ

وَلَو عَلِمناهُ سِرنا طالِبينَ لَهُ

لَعَلَّنا بِشِفا عَمرٍ نُوافيهِ

لَعَلَّنا بِشِفا عَمرٍ نُوافيهِ

And if we knew of him, we would journey in search of him,

Had we known him, we would've kept his secret

Perhaps, at life's brink, we might meet him.

Hoping to match his age with our submission

وَالدَهرُ يُفقِدُ يَوماً بِهِ كَدَرٌ

وَالدَهرُ يُفقِدُ يَوماً بِهِ كَدَرٌ

وَيَعوزُ الخِلَّ باديهِ كَخافيهِ

وَيَعوزُ الخِلَّ باديهِ كَخافيهِ

And time takes away a day that holds distress,

Time bereaves a day of joy, and is devoid

And its outward face, like its hidden one, lacks a friend.

Of sincere and false equally in its void

وَقَلَّما تُسعِفُ الدُنيا بِلا تَعَبٍ

وَقَلَّما تُسعِفُ الدُنيا بِلا تَعَبٍ

وَالدُرُّ يُعدَمُ فَوقَ الماءِ طافيهِ

وَالدُرُّ يُعدَمُ فَوقَ الماءِ طافيهِ

Rarely does the world grant help without toil,

Rarely does life oblige without toil and moil

And pearls are not found floating on the water.

And gems float atop the water buoyed

وَمَن أَطالَ خِلاجاً في مَوَدَّتِهِ

وَمَن أَطالَ خِلاجاً في مَوَدَّتِهِ

فَهَجرُهُ لَكَ خَيرٌ مِن تَلافيهِ

فَهَجرُهُ لَكَ خَيرٌ مِن تَلافيهِ

And whoever keeps wavering in his affection,

He who prolongs estrangement despite affection

Abandoning him is better for you than trying to mend things with him.

Is better parted from than kept in connection

وَرُبَّ أَسلافِ قَومٍ شَأنُهُم خَلَفٌ

وَرُبَّ أَسلافِ قَومٍ شَأنُهُم خَلَفٌ

وَالشِعرُ يُؤتي كَثيراً مِن قَوافيهِ

وَالشِعرُ يُؤتي كَثيراً مِن قَوافيهِ

Many a loan goes to folk whose way is to break their word,

An ancestry's ways may differ from their offspring's

And poetry yields much through its rhymes.

And verse yields plentiful rhymes in its inflection

نَعى الطَبيبُ إِلى مُضنىً حُشاشَتَهُ

نَعى الطَبيبُ إِلى مُضنىً حُشاشَتَهُ

مَهلاً طَبيبُ فَإِنَّ اللَهَ شافيهِ

مَهلاً طَبيبُ فَإِنَّ اللَهَ شافيهِ

The physician pronounced an ailing man's last spark of life doomed.

The healer reproved the afflicted for his misery

Wait, physician, for God is his healer.

Gently, healer, for God is his perfection

عَجِبتُ لِلمالِكِ القِنطارَ مِن ذَهَبٍ

عَجِبتُ لِلمالِكِ القِنطارَ مِن ذَهَبٍ

يَبغي الزِيادَةَ وَالقيراطُ كافيهِ

يَبغي الزِيادَةَ وَالقيراطُ كافيهِ

I marveled at one who owns a qintar of gold,

Amazed am I at the owner of a quintal of gold

Yet seeks more, though a qirat would suffice him.

Seeking increase when a gram makes sufficiency

وَكَثرَةُ المالِ ساقَت لِلفَتى أَشَراً

وَكَثرَةُ المالِ ساقَت لِلفَتى أَشَراً

كَالذَيلِ عَثَّرَ عِندَ المَشيِ ضافيهِ

كَالذَيلِ عَثَّرَ عِندَ المَشيِ ضافيهِ

And abundant wealth has driven a young man to arrogance,

Abundant money brought ruin to many a lad

Like a hem whose trailing length trips its wearer as he walks.

Like a trailing robe trips one walking stiffly

لَقَد عَرَفتُكَ عَصراً موقِداً لَهَباً

لَقَد عَرَفتُكَ عَصراً موقِداً لَهَباً

مِنَ الشَبيبَةِ لَم تَنضَب أَنافيهِ

مِنَ الشَبيبَةِ لَم تَنضَب أَنافيهِ

Indeed, I knew you once, kindling a flame

I knew you as a youth kindling flames

Of youth, whose sprays had not run dry.

With exuberance exhaustless and lively

وَالشَيخُ يُحزِنُ مَن في الشَرخِ يَعهَدُهُ

وَالشَيخُ يُحزِنُ مَن في الشَرخِ يَعهَدُهُ

كَأَنَّهُ الرَبعُ هاجَ الشَوقَ عافيهِ

كَأَنَّهُ الرَبعُ هاجَ الشَوقَ عافيهِ

And an old man saddens those who knew him in his prime,

While the old man saddens those who hope in youth

As though he were a dwelling whose faded traces stir longing.

As though he were the desert hot and ghastly

وَمَسكَنُ الروحِ في الجُثمانِ أَسقَمَهُ

وَمَسكَنُ الروحِ في الجُثمانِ أَسقَمَهُ

وَبَينُها عَنهُ سُقمٍ يُعافيهِ

وَبَينُها عَنهُ سُقمٍ يُعافيهِ

The soul's dwelling in the body has made it ill,

The spirit's dwelling in the body made it sickly

And its separation from it is a sickness that heals it.

And between them is sickness it relieves merely

وَما يُحِسُّ إِذا ما عادَ مُتَّصِلاً

وَما يُحِسُّ إِذا ما عادَ مُتَّصِلاً

بِالتُربِ تَسفيهِ في الهابي سَوافيهِ

بِالتُربِ تَسفيهِ في الهابي سَوافيهِ

And it feels nothing when it is joined once more

It feels no difference when returned

To dust, whose sweeping winds scatter it amid airborne dust.

To dust interred, in waste or cemetery

فَما يُبالي أَديمٌ وَهيَ جانِبُهُ

فَما يُبالي أَديمٌ وَهيَ جانِبُهُ

وَلا يُراعُ إِذا حُدَّت أَشافيهِ

وَلا يُراعُ إِذا حُدَّت أَشافيهِ

So a hide cares nothing when its side wears out,

It cares not if shrouded or left bare

Nor is it alarmed when its awls are sharpened.

Or if graves stand distinct or blearily

وَحَبَّذا الأَرضُ قَفراً لا يَحُلُّ بِها

وَحَبَّذا الأَرضُ قَفراً لا يَحُلُّ بِها

ضِدٌّ تُعاديهِ أَو خِلمٌ تُصافيهِ

ضِدٌّ تُعاديهِ أَو خِلمٌ تُصافيهِ

And how lovely is a barren land where there dwells neither

Best is a barren desert where none can dwell

A foe you oppose nor an intimate friend you cherish.

Adversaries to quarrel or friends to agree

وَما حَمِدتُ كَبيراً في تَحَدَّ بِهِ

وَما حَمِدتُ كَبيراً في تَحَدَّ بِهِ

وَلا عَذَلتُ صَغيراً في تَجافيهِ

وَلا عَذَلتُ صَغيراً في تَجافيهِ

Nor have I praised an elder for his tender care,

I laud no elder for insolence

Nor blamed a younger person for his aloofness.

Nor blame the young for antipathy

جَنى أَبٌ وَضَعَ اِبناً لِلرَدى غَرَضاً

جَنى أَبٌ وَضَعَ اِبناً لِلرَدى غَرَضاً

إِن عَقَّ فَهوَ عَلى جُرمٍ يُكافيهِ

إِن عَقَّ فَهوَ عَلى جُرمٍ يُكافيهِ

A father committed a crime by making a son a target for death;

A father reaped and sowed a son for waste

If he is unfilial, he is repaying him for a crime.

If he matures, it is for iniquity's fee